Batavia man arrested on Highland County manslaughter charge

Charges related to body found in New Market field

A Batavia man was arrested this week on manslaughter and abuse of a corpse charges after being indicted earlier this month, officials said Thursday.

Steve A. Davis, 40, was taken into custody on Tuesday in Brown County, according to Chief Deputy Brandon Stratton of the Highland County Sheriff’s Office.

As previously reported, Davis was indicted on one count of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and one count of abuse of a corpse, a fifth-degree felony.

According to court documents, the charges are related to the death of Dakota Spurlock, a 24-year-old Clermont County man whose body was found in a field near New Market in February.

Stratton said he wasn’t sure of the circumstances surrounding Davis’ arrest, but he said the Brown County Sheriff’s Office served the warrant around 3 p.m. Tuesday, and Davis was later brought to the Highland County jail.

A spokesman for the Brown County Sheriff’s Office referred press inquiries to a detective, but the detective did not immediately return calls for comment Thursday.

Highland County Sheriff’s Detective Randy Sanders, who is investigating the case, could not be reached.

Two other men, Stoney James Behler, 37, and John Daniel Disney, 39, both of Cincinnati, were indicted on the same charges earlier this month in reference to the same incident.

Behler was indicted on one additional count of having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony.

Spurlock’s body, which was discovered by a farmer at the entrance to the field, had sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest, officials said.

According to online records, Disney is incarcerated at the Clermont County jail. At the time of the indictment, Behler was also listed incarcerated there, but jail records no longer show him as an inmate.

Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera said investigators believe Spurlock was killed in Clermont County, then brought to Highland County and dumped in the field.

The sheriff would not disclose a motive.

Stratton declined to release further information on the case on Thursday.

As previously reported, online court records in Clermont, Hamilton and Montgomery County show Spurlock had a criminal record, including drug crimes and firearm violations.

A Facebook page appearing to belong to Spurlock showed him and others in multiple photos holding guns and wads of cash.